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Paths of Glory (Abridged) Audiobook
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(3.01) - 5,266 listener ratings
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International bestselling author Jeffrey Archer returns with a triumphant historical novel, Paths of Glory. Paths of Glory, is the story of such a man—George Mallory. Born in 1886, he was a brilliant student who became part of the Bloomsbury Group at Cambridge in the early twentieth century and served in the Royal Garrison Artillery during World War I. After the war, he married, had three children, and would have spent the rest of his life as a schoolteacher, but for his love of mountain climbing. Mallory once told a reporter that he wanted to climb Mt. Everest, "because it is there." On his third try in 1924, at age thirty-seven, he was last seen four hundred feet from the top. His body was found in 1999, and it remains a mystery whether he and his climbing partner, Andrew Irvine, ever reached the summit. In fact, not until you've turned the last page of Archer's extraordinary novel will you be able to decide if George Mallory should be added to that list of legends, while another name would have to be removed.
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"I have been a fan of Jeffrey Archer since reading Kane and Abel many years ago. I just finished his novel, Paths of Glory, the story of the 1924 "failed" attempt to climb Mt. Everest by George Mallory. Though I am not typically a fan of man against nature themes along the lines of Jon Krakauer, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. First of all, it is not exactly a classic example of Archer's work. The plot is less sophisticated, the character's humbler, the writing simpler, resulting in a much less exhausting but extremely satisfying reading experience. The characters are engaging, not just Mallory, but also his friend/rival George Finch and his other English climbing contemporaries. The only character left wanting is Mallory's too perfect, completely selfless wife who seems not to even struggle terribly hard with what she and Mallory jokingly call his "affair with the other woman, Chomolungma" the Tibetan name for Mt. Everest meaning Goddess Mother of the World. Being a wife and a mother, I was unable to find her overly supportive role believable. Archer should have thrown in a little more anger and fear from a woman, wife and mother who repeatedly risked losing her husband and her helpmate. I did appreciate the irony that one of Mallory's daughters relived her mother's fate and was left to raise three small children alone after she too lost her husband to a passion for climbing. In fact, the ending of the book would have been lacking had Archer NOT included the short paragraphs about the fates of those who did not die on Mt. Everest. After all, as Archer reminds us via Thomas Gray's poem in the beginning, even "the paths of glory lead but to the grave.""
— Ruth (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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One of the top ten storytellers in the world.
— Los Angeles Times on Jeffrey Archer -
“A dynamite commercial novel … Archer brings it off with panache.
— The Washington Post on A Prisoner of Birth -
Bestseller Archer pays homage to Dumas's The Count of Monte Cristo in this delicious updating of the adventure classic.… The author's firsthand knowledge of prison life and legal maneuvers help make this a thoroughly enjoyable entertainment.
— Publishers Weekly on A Prisoner of Birth -
Like other Archer thrillers, the book is compulsively readable.
— Library Journal on A Prisoner of Birth -
A worthy successor to the still bestselling The Da Vinci Code.
— Liz Smith, New York Post, on False Impression
Paths of Glory Listener Reviews
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" Jeffrey Archer is a great author. I really enjoyed this book which has an aspect of fiction. No one really know what happened to George Mallory, but this book gives Archers idea "
— Robert, 2/19/2014 -
" Read this book on my trip back from London which was totally appropriate about the climbing of Mt. Everest by Mallory. Enjoyable story which, in all likelihood, was true! Fast read. "
— Tsrcape, 2/11/2014 -
" No one could have told this story any better than Jefffrey Archer. Mt.Everest has never fascinated me this much before ! This book is just PERFECT. It's not to be missed.. "
— Pallak, 2/6/2014 -
" So far so good, the book promises to be very exciting "
— Luccas, 2/4/2014 -
" part fact, part fiction. a great story about loving and dying for the mountains. "
— Ramnik, 1/30/2014 -
" Enjoyed this look at the time period and the quest for Mount Everest. "
— Adrienne, 1/20/2014 -
" I have been fascinated by Mt. Everest since I came back from a conference that had as its motivation speaker who was a survivor of the 1996 Mt. Everest disasters that were chronicled by Jon Kraukauer in his classic book-"Into Thin Air." This is when I was first introduced to George Leigh Mallory. Did he make it to the top of Mt. Everest in 1924? Jeffery Archer did a great job in telling Mallory's life story in this fictionalize historical novel and of Mallory's life long dream of conquering Everest. I truely enjoyed this novel and Archer's writing style. He captures the spirit of the English nothing can stop us attitude of the early 20th Century and all the snobbery of Eglish upper crust society. Leads to good action and conflict in the novel. Archer has a definite opionion on whether Mallory makes it to the top of Mt. Everest but this will remain on of the 20th Century's great mysteries and debates in the mountain climbing community. Even you are not a fan of the quest to get to the top of Mt. Everest, I highly recommend this book. "
— Roger, 1/19/2014 -
" I always enjoy Archer, but this was not his best work. "
— Linda, 1/18/2014 -
" Very very very good book. Inspired by the true story of man's attempt to conquer Everest. "
— Lydia, 12/24/2013 -
" It was an excellent story leading up to Mallory's death, whether or true or not. However, I wished there was more details about what information was gained when they found his body 75 years later. "
— Chris, 12/5/2013 -
" I remember when they found Mallory's body on Mt. Everest. This is a wonderful story! What an adventure... "
— Janette, 12/2/2013 -
" Even though I knew the ending, I was captivated by the story! "
— Jessie, 11/20/2012 -
" If you like books about climbing and adventure then you'll enjoy this one "
— Sean, 9/23/2012 -
" Did not care for this one. I mistakenly picked it up thinking it was the Paths of Glory that tho Movie was made from. "
— Jerome, 8/5/2012 -
" Loved this book .. A true story that didn't bore me! "
— Beverley, 6/11/2012 -
" Very interesting. Aykut and I would love to visit Mt Everest. Really easy to read and thoroughly enjoyed it. "
— Rachel, 4/12/2012 -
" Great book about climbing mountains. The Everest seems to be a challenge today, imagine in 1925? I really liked the main character as he is an extremely motivated person with a big heart. "
— Selma, 4/6/2012 -
" i really love how the author portrait George Mallory character in the book. His ambition, enthusiasm, and how he express his love for his wife totally moved me. "
— aeniez, 12/24/2011 -
" Jeffery Archer is a master storyteller. I have to say this was not my favourite Archer story. It is about a real person and how he climbed Everst. "
— Gobnait, 6/23/2011 -
" Audio Book. It sucked that the prologue gave away the fact that George died on the mountain. Other than that it was a great book. "
— Jake, 5/6/2011 -
" This was another book club choice that I really loved! Full of adventure! I think that the guys in our life would like this one too! "
— Peggy, 5/5/2011 -
" Enjoyable, easy read. Interesting view into what it was like to pioneer Everest before prior the hoopla that now surrounds it. "
— Brenda, 5/1/2011 -
" It was an excellent story leading up to Mallory's death, whether or true or not. However, I wished there was more details about what information was gained when they found his body 75 years later. "
— Chris, 4/27/2011 -
" Great historical fiction read. <br/> <br/>Enjoyed learning more about mountain climbing and the history of Mt. Everest "
— John, 4/12/2011 -
" great read, Mt. Everest climber!! Why do they do it? "
— Mary, 4/12/2011 -
" Enjoyed reading this book - I usually enjoy Archer. The characters were well developed - those we know about and those we don't! "
— Kristy, 4/12/2011 -
" This is the fascinating account of the first climbers to try to conquer Mt. Everest. It reads like a novel, with exciting stories of the climb, and it's also a terrific love story. Highly recommend! <br/> "
— Kelly, 4/1/2011 -
" a great adventure book, the book does a great job at describing the journey of the men who are going to climb Everest. <br/>It is a funny story full of adventure and even love. "
— Armando, 3/31/2011 -
" Well done, and a completely enjoyable adventure, despite the tragedies. I listened to this one on cds, took about 14 hours during long commute times. Made me relive my early climbs of Mt Whitney and Mt Rainier many years ago. The descent is always the hardest part of any climb. "
— Cindy, 3/29/2011 -
" I enjoyed this book very much. It was based on the true story of a Brit named George Mallory who was a mountain climber. I had never heard of him and thought it was fiction until I saw a review of the book. One of the disadvantages of listening to books -- no covers or inside flaps. "
— Pat, 3/25/2011
About Jeffrey Archer
Jeffrey Archer is an author of fiction, nonfiction, and plays, including numerous New York Times bestsellings, of which three made the #1 bestsellers spot. He was educated at Oxford University. He served five years as a member of the British parliament in the House of Commons and has served twenty-seven years as a member of the House of Lords. Now published in 97 countries and more than 37 languages, all of his novels and short story collections—including Kane & Abel, Only Time Will Tell and This Was a Man—have been international bestsellers.
About Roger Allam
Roger Allam played Javert in the original London production of Les Misérables and Falstaff in the Shakespeare’s Globe 2010 production of Henry IV Parts 1 and 2. He has been nominated four times for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor, winning twice, and he has also won the Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actor. His film work includes roles in The Queen, Speed Racer, V for Vendetta, The Wind That Shakes the Barley, Tamara Drewe, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, and the television series The Thick of It. He has narrated audiobooks for numerous bestselling authors, including Jeffrey Archer, Ian McEwan, Ian Rankin, and Joseph Conrad. Roger lives in southwest London with his wife, actress Rebecca Saire, and their two young sons.